Meet Monstro, The 10-Year-Old Goldfish Who Was Nursed Back To Health And Went Viral On TikTok With Over 5.9M Views

We’ve got a wholesome story full of hope for you, dear Pandas. People are absolutely loving a viral TikTok video posted by Lacey Scott, aka @heretherebesculptures, that shows how they rescued a sick and dying 10-year-old goldfish and then nursed it back to health.

Monstro the goldfish had lots of health problems: it couldn’t swim and as a result, developed lesions on its belly. However, the new owner set up a ‘fish hospital’ for Monstro with aquarium salt and changed the water daily. The changes were slow but noticeable. Scroll down and have a look for yourself what swimmingly huge differences proper care and attention can bring about. This before-and-after is simply stunning!

“Monstro is somehow a big goof while also being a high maintenance diva at the same time,” the goldfish’s new owner Lacey told Bored Panda. Read on for our full interview with Monstro’s owner.

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Check out the full video showing Monstro’s amazing transformation right here

@heretherebesculpturesThe one where you accidentally become a goldfish keeper. Meet Monstro ##rescue ##inspirational ##goldfish ##rescuepet ##fish ##recovery♬ Inspirational Piano – AShamaluevMusic

Proper love, care, and attention can work wonders!

More than 5.9 million people viewed the viral TikTok video and over 1.5 million liked it. With stats like these, Monstro might just be one of the most popular fish in the vast waters of the world wide web.

Once the goldfish started eating and swimming bit by bit, its new owner moved it to a bigger aquarium with some friends to keep him company. The most striking difference was how Monstro changed its color from a very dark blue to a bright and healthy-looking orange!

Monstro loves food and attention

“On the one hand, he’s like a goofy oversized puppy. He’ll come to the glass and beg for attention, especially when he wants to be fed (which is always),” Lacey told us. “Due to their shape, fancy goldfish aren’t the best swimmers, and Monstro is no exception.”

The owner continued: “He reminds me of a bumper car, he gets going and then can’t stop, so he just bounces off things and plows through the other fish, or he’ll try turning around and somehow end up doing a backflip. It’s pretty comical to watch! The desk I sculpt on is beside their tank and one of his favorite things is to swim to the top then flick his tail dramatically and sling water everywhere. My husband is currently working from home and uses the desk during the day, but hasn’t really seen Monstro do it, so I assume it’s something he does to get my attention, probably because he thinks he’s always starving.”

Lacey told us that it’s very important to feed goldfish well. “Since their bodies are so compact, it’s not uncommon for them to have gastrointestinal issues so it’s important to feed them a good diet. I feed a variety of things, pellets, gel food, leafy greens, blood worms, brine shrimp, and blanched veggies. They’re extremely fond of duckweed, which is a floating plant, but I can’t grow it fast enough because they gobble it up so quickly!”

People loved how wholesome the video was

If you’ve ever owned a goldfish, then you might have had to release it into the wild when it got too sick for you to take care of it. However, goldfish that are released this way can have a large (and negative) impact on local ecosystems, according to the BBC.

Researchers from Murdoch University in Perth found many goldfish that weighed over 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds). Meanwhile, the chonkiest freed goldfish they found weighed a whopping 1.9 kilograms (nearly 4.2 pounds).

There’s a common misconception about goldfish and their longevity. According to the RSPCA, most are known to live up to 25 years and some of them can reach over 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) in length! The oldest known goldfish Tish from Thirsk in North Yorkshire lived up to the age of 43 and died in 1999. Which just goes to show how much proper care can affect your pet’s longevity and health. We’re hoping that Monstro outlives Tish and has a long and bubbly life.